In upcoming posts, I’ll show how I used the Myers-Briggs personality type theory to inform the character development and conflicts in this novel.

Here’s an example. From this excerpt, can you guess Karina’s personality type?

Monday morning, Karina gazed at a kitten crouching underneath a shiny black Mercedes in the parking garage at work. She was determined to save him, like the other strays she had rescued, whether he cooperated or not. It would only take a minute to feed him, even though it might make her late for work. Even though her boss had just lectured her on The Importance of Punctuality.

She was never late when it counted, like when she was due in court. But to a seasoned bureaucrat like Victoria, that didn’t matter. Rules were rules.

To Karina, rules kept people from finding a better way.

Her hand meandered toward a zip-top sandwich bag in the pocket of her business suit. “It’s okay, kitty. I brought you a snack.”

Squatting and balancing on three-inch designer pumps, she tossed a handful of kibble toward the suspicious feline. He watched her, green eyes glowing against golden fur, then turned away with regal aplomb. Amazing a starving two-pound kitten could cop that much attitude.

She gripped the car’s door handle to steady herself, then chucked the remaining cat food toward the kitten. She started to rise, but her foot slipped back and her stomach jumped. Her knee hit the concrete and sharp pain spread. Her cry echoed through the parking garage. The kitten scurried away.

Karina swore under her breath, not wanting to frighten the cat any more. Its life depended on her befriending it and getting it to a no-kill shelter before someone called Animal Control.

She stood and rubbed the sore spot on her knee. Her pantyhose were shredded, but a spare pair was tucked into her briefcase. Worse, her shoes were scuffed—or rather, Tara’s shoes, borrowed without permission. Seven hundred dollar Dior. No way Karina could afford to pay her back for them on a public defender’s salary. She squeezed her eyes shut, praying the mark would come out with toothpaste.

Here are some hints about Karina’s personality type:

Her commitment to rescuing stray cats, even when it could get her in trouble with her boss (thinking vs. feeling logic)

Her view of punctuality as being of relative rather than absolute importance (judgment vs. perception)

Her belief that following the rules keeps you from finding a better way (sensation vs. intuition)

In this passage, Karina demonstrates dominant extraverted intuition with auxiliary feeling, making her an ENFP. She’s not intended to be a “prototypical” ENFP—she’ll be the first to tell you she’s unique in the universe—but MBTI language helped me to bring certain characteristics to the forefront and contrast them with her boss to create tension.

Her habit of borrowing her sister’s shoes without permission? That’s not personality type. That’s Karina, and it’s symptomatic of a deeper dynamic between the sisters. Personality type isn’t everything. It’s just a tool, and one I find particularly useful.

So, how did you do? Were you able to guess Karina’s personality type, or come close? Leave a comment to let me know how you did!

Coronado Beach, now available from Amazon and free with Kindle Unlimited

Karina’s faith in love has been shaken by the breakup of her sister’s fairytale marriage. After a year away, her wealthy ex-brother-in-law, Alex, takes a job alongside her at the San Diego public defender’s office. When a dangerous client assaults Karina, Alex subdues him, and Karina finds comfort in Alex’s kiss. She fights the attraction, knowing an entanglement with him could destroy her relationship with her sister. She won’t find the right man if she keeps falling for the wrong ones, and she can’t heal her family until she heals her own heart.

CPP Blog Central has posted a series on words associated with each MBTI personality type. If you’re an author, and you know your characters’ MBTI types, these articles are a great resource to generate ideas on how to describe them. Or, if you don’t know the character’s type, these lists might help you figure it out!

The SJ types (Guardians) share several characteristics in common, such as scheduled, organized, practical, and focused. For more specific descriptions of each type, check out each individual article:

CPP Blog Central has posted a series on words associated with each MBTI personality type. If you’re an author, and you know your characters’ MBTI types, these articles are a great resource to generate ideas on how to describe them. Or, if you don’t know the character’s type, these lists might help you figure it out!

The SP types (Artisans) share several characteristics in common, such as fun, resourceful, and present oriented. For more specific descriptions of each type, check out each individual article:

CPP Blog Central has posted a series on words associated with each MBTI personality type. If you’re an author, and you know your characters’ MBTI types, these articles are a great resource to generate ideas on how to describe them. Or, if you don’t know the character’s type, these lists might help you figure it out!

The NT types (Rationals) share several similar words, such as logical; driven or determined; and thought-provoking, innovative, or outside-the-box. For more specific descriptions for each type, check out each individual article:

CPP Blog Central has posted a series on words associated with each MBTI personality type. If you’re an author, and you know your characters’ MBTI types, these articles are a great resource to generate ideas on how to describe them. Or, if you don’t know the character’s type, these lists might help you figure it out!

The NF types (Idealists) share several words in common, such as creative, compassionate, and caring. For more specific descriptions for each type, check out each individual article:

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